11 p.m. A dramatic scene at 46th and Phinney just after 10 p.m. when a car bursts into flames. “A passer-by smashed driver window to check for occupants. Fire was well under way at this time,” wrote Andrew in an email with this photo.
“Was burning for around 10 minutes before the fire department arrived,” he said. There’s no report of any injuries.
10 p.m. What a night. We’ve heard from several drivers who said it took as long as two to three hours to drive home to Ballard from downtown Seattle. Even at this late hour, the Washington State Patrol says “it’s horrible gridlock out there” on some of the major freeways — I-5 at Lake City Way is a problem spot — and with a 25 degree temperature, ice has formed on many roadways. Seattle Police reported as many as 200 metro buses are stuck. And keep in mind, SDOT doesn’t clear the side streets, so be careful.
Bergen Place photographed late tonight by Emily
And the morning commute won’t be any better. High temperatures on Tuesday are expected to stay in the 20s, so the ice (unless SDOT is able to spread salt on it) will still be slippery as ever. SDOT says it will be working on the major routes throughout the night, but the advice from many officials is clear: stay home. We’ll have updates beginning early in the morning.
Cassandra sent us this video of snow tonight in the Adams area:
8:25 p.m. All Seattle public schools will be closed tomorrow.
7:05 p.m. Temperatures plunged this afternoon (27 degrees at last check) and the wind kicked up, creating icy roadways and grinding the evening commute to a halt. My Ballard reader Silver reports sheets of snow blowing off the roof of both the Ballard Market and Grease Monkey as seen in the video below (be sure to turn your volume down before watching).
It goes without saying — driving conditions are dangerous. Ballard’s top two danger spots typically are Market St. up to Fremont and that little dip down 85th to Aurora Ave. — no word on actual conditions there, so if you’ve just driven it, please leave a comment below. Conditions are often dependent on whether SDOT trucks have been able to make a recent run.
Meanwhile, our sister sites Queen Anne View, Magnolia Voice and My Wallingford are all reporting (with photos) traffic troubles there. Cars are slipping and sliding.
SDOT trucks hitting I-5 in the University District just after 6:30 p.m.
Elsewhere, the Viaduct has been closed due to ice, along with the Battery St. tunnel. There are accidents along I-5 in North Seattle, and earlier, along a slick Aurora Bridge. The West Seattle Bridge is all but stopped. SDOT is operating 22 trucks with salt and plows, and four with liquid brine. Here’s our page of Ballard-area traffic cameras. And you can follow SDOT traffic updates on Twitter here and WSDOT here.
3 p.m. Forecasters say the next couple of hours will bring us the most intense snow before things finally calm down. The wind isn’t helping things. The Seattle Parks department is closing all community centers programs scheduled after 6pm as well as all athletic fields.
Photo of St. Alphonsus playground from Kristen
1 p.m. Our intern Tyler Steele came across a crash in Crown Hill this morning. A couple tells Tyler they were building a snowman in their driveway when they heard a car slam into the tree across from their duplex at 9520 Holman Rd. N.W., right on the corner of 9th Ave. N.W.
“We heard the aftermath—sliding, it hitting the pole and then finally hitting the tree,” said Erin Haven.
Three cars were involved in the crash. Sok Khann, who got tangled up in the wreck, said “I was in the far right lane, heading up the hill on 9th Ave. N.W., parallel to the driver that got hit first—pushing him into me. After that, he ended up in the tree.”
He added that everyone walked away from the crash without any visible injuries.
12:45pm The community meeting on changes to the Seattle Public Schools student assignment plan that was set for tonight at Ingraham High School is canceled due to the weather.
12:30 p.m. A new forecast from the National Weather Service says most the snow will move in before 7 p.m. tonight for total possible accumulation of 2-4 inches. As much as another 1-2 inches tonight. Complicating matters will be winds with gusts as high as 40 miles per hour. Stay safe out there!
10:45 a.m. We’re adding some new photos taken about 10 this morning in downtown Ballard where streets are bare and wet. Bergen Place, the Ballard library, and Ballard Commons Park only have a dusting of snow. In fact, it’s tough to even make a decent snowball. No problems at all on the Ballard Bridge and 15th Ave into downtown is totally clear.
Bergen Place
Ballard library
Ballard Commons Park
10 a.m. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Seattle until 10 p.m. tonight. Forecasters say more snow is on the way this afternoon, along with high wind gusts.
Photo of 9th Ave. NW in East Ballard by Sean
The biggest traffic trouble spot right now is the Aurora Bridge, which is covered with ice. There have been two accidents so far (photo). SDOT says it has deployed its snow plows “to patrol snow routes and treat problem spots.” If you’re wondering what the main thoroughfares look like, make sure to check out this page with all the Ballard-area traffic cams.
SDOT camera at 15th and Market (refresh to see updates every couple minutes)
Forecasters say this is just the first wave. This afternoon, more snow is expected that could leave a total of 1-3 inches of total accumulation.
Traffic camera at 85th and Market
As we mentioned last night, Metro buses are on snow routes today.
5:55 a.m. from Seattle Public Schools:
Today middle and high schools will start at the regular time, but will dismiss early at 12:35 p.m. This is due to the fact that snow is expected later in the afternoon. The elementary and K-8 Parent-Teacher conferences will proceed today as planned.
And here’s the latest forecast from the National Weather Service:
Cloudy with snow flurries this morning. Snow at times this afternoon. Snow accumulation 1 to 3 inches. Becoming windy. North wind 10 to 15 MPH increasing to 20 to 30 MPH this afternoon. Temperatures near 30.
Check the forum for reports from many Ballardites. Have updates of your own? Post them in comments below, and send us photos to tips@myballard.com.